Enrollment
603
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Riverside, CA
Highland Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Highland Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 20/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 063315005143
👥 S:T ratio 11
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Highland Elementary earns 20/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median.
- #33 of 43
- elementary schools in Riverside · Resource Index
- 20
- Resource Index · Lower
- 22.3:1
- students per teacher
- 75.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Highland Elementary has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Highland Elementary ranks #33 of 43 elementary schools in Riverside, CA.
School address
District: Riverside Unified · California
NCES ID 063315005143 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
27.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
22.3:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
75.9%
vs 55.5% California avg
+37% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Highland Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Highland Elementary
Highland Elementary is a high-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Riverside, California, enrolling 603 students.
At 22.3:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the California median, within a few percentage points of the 21.5:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 75.9% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 603 puts it in the larger third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 2,142 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #1,408.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (70%) and African American (12%) (diversity index 49/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 1206 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 49.4% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among Riverside's elementary schools, it stands alongside Mark Twain Elementary (1,033 students): Highland Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (22.3:1 vs 26.5:1).
Riverside Unified also operates Martin Luther King Jr. High (2,699 students) and Polytechnic High (2,484 students) alongside Highland Elementary.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Highland Elementary compares
Highland Elementary on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 22.3:1 | ▲ 4% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 75.9% | ▲ 37% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 603 | top 32% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
22.3:1
Leaner classes than 10% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
603
Bigger than 73% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
75.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 37% above the California average of 55.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
22.3:1
students per teacher
- 4% above state mean
Top 56% in California - lower ratio than 44% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
49.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$14,545
per pupil, district-wide
- below California avg of $16,509
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.5 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
4
in-school suspensions + 11 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 69.8%
African American 12.4%
White 7.6%
Asian 5.1%
Two or More 3.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.0%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 69.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 48.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 48.7, Highland Elementary is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Riverside Unified, which includes Highland Elementary.
$14,545
Per student
-12%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-12%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 24.1%
State 64.5%
Federal 11.4%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Highland Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Martin Luther King Jr. High | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Polytechnic High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Ramona High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| John W. North High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Arlington High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Highland Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,699
- Students per teacher
- 23.7:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 2,484
- Students per teacher
- 24.1:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 2,142
- Students per teacher
- 23:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 2,011
- Students per teacher
- 22.1:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 1,920
- Students per teacher
- 24.3:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
Similar elementary schools in Riverside
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Mark Twain Elementary
Standard public school
1,033 students 26.5:1 students per teacher
Jefferson Elementary
Standard public school
886 students 22.7:1 students per teacher
John F. Kennedy Elementary
Standard public school
864 students 26.2:1 students per teacher
Mountain View Elementary
Standard public school
851 students 23.6:1 students per teacher
Highgrove Elementary
Standard public school
848 students 27.4:1 students per teacher
Washington Elementary
Standard public school
818 students 25.6:1 students per teacher
Similar elementary schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of California, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~603 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~22.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Highland Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Highland Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Riverside Unified's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Highland Elementary
How many students attend Highland Elementary?
Highland Elementary has 603 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Riverside, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Highland Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Highland Elementary is 22.3:1, which is 4% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 42% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Highland Elementary?
75.9% of students at Highland Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Highland Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Highland Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 69.8% of enrollment, in Riverside, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Highland Elementary?
Highland Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 20/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Highland Elementary rank among elementary schools in Riverside?
By Resource Investment Index, Highland Elementary ranks #33 of 43 elementary schools in Riverside, CA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Riverside on the city page.
Is Highland Elementary a good school?
Highland Elementary earns 20/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Riverside Unified?
Besides Highland Elementary, Riverside Unified also operates Martin Luther King Jr. High (2,699 students), Polytechnic High (2,484 students), and Ramona High (2,142 students). See the Riverside Unified district page for the complete list.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.